It has been awhile!  Nothing like having Halloween reminding you to write a blog! :)


#1 The Aller-bling Bracelet is AWESOME
You can kind of see it in this picture. It is has small charms with a picture and lists what she is allergic to. Perfect for this age! It is used as a conversation piece to get her talking about her allergies. In my opinion it is a good education piece. One more step we can take to keep our baby safe. She has kept it on for a good 2 months now. I have caught people in stores, church, ball games, ect. looking at it. Even if they do not mention it they are noticing it. Bringing more awareness to the often overlooked world of Food Allergies. I love it! If you have a child with one or more allergies Consider it.







 

#2  May contain traces of wheat and egg. Contains milk. Manufactured in a facility that also has peanuts. Packaged on shared equipment with egg. Contains soy. May contain milk, wheat, eggs, soy and peanuts. Manufactured in a facility that also produces egg, wheat, milk and soy. Ever seen this so many times you want to scream?  Start reading labels, even if you don’t have to. It will make you go, hmmmmm.

#3 Halloween makes me want to panic.

You think dressing up and going door to door to get candy is the best thing ever. Well, to most people it is. And to Miss Aubree Grace it is too. It is her Momma that has the issue! My kids are the BEST. We did not eat that first bite of candy until we returned home. The best part, no one asked!!!!!  Aubree had the best time collecting the candy, knowing she was not going to get to eat 90% of what she collected. The problem….The ingredients are not listed on each individual package of candy. It is just the main bag. You can’t go by well I know she can have that, because it changes so frequently.  Just yesterday looked at a package of candy that she can normally have and it now says may contain egg and wheat. Dum-dum suckers and smarties are a safe candy. (but other than that we supplement with candy we buy)  .................by the way I had to take a 30 min break in writing because I had just given Aubree a piece of bubblegum and she came and told her her throat was feeeling itchy. I made her spit it out and she had a nice does of antihistimine.  She kepts saying it was itchy for about 20 mins then said it felt normal again. BIG SIGH…..OH MY......

 

#4 We learn so much each day. We are now working on teaching Keegan about Aubree’s allergies. That is a new one for us. I think he is getting it, it is pretty cute!

#5 We are beyond blessed to have Aubree as our daughter. She makes us laugh and teaches us the value of life each and every day. Love her and would not trade her AND our journey with allergies for anything (it would be perfectly fine if she DID out grow them though. LOL)



WHY?

Sometimes I am angry, sometimes I feel sorry for Aubree, sometimes I feel sorry for myself. Sometimes I cry over it all!  Why her?  Why MY baby girl?  Why can I not just make macaroni and cheese and call it lunch for all the kids? Why can we not stop and pick up a quick pizza on the way home because I am exhausted and don’t want to cook? Why an Ice Cream social instead of a fruit social? Why do I have to take these extra precautions? Do other people understand how easy they have it?

To me, those are normal feelings. Having a 3 year old that is Severely allergic to Milk, peanuts, wheat, eggs and soy is no easy task.

There is a lot of daily prep that goes along with having that many allergies. Her “special” food is much more expensive than the normal stuff, can’t be bought at all grocery stores and also tastes much different. We could not possibly cut all of those foods out of our house completely. Therefore, I do a lot of double cooking. Our kind AND Aubree’s kind.  That means 2 kinds of pizza, two kinds of cookies, two kinds of spaghetti, two kinds of so many different foods. Most of the time she eats a variety of what we are having.  For example, she can have meat loaf (oatmeal not crackers) make her a small one that does not have egg in it. She can have plain potatoes…but no milk, butter, cheese, sour cream….just plain ole potatoes. If I am making cheesy potatoes for the rest of the family, I will just make sure to take hers out before adding cheese and other non-Aubree safe foods. What if she is SUPER hungry today and I don’t save her out enough?  Making 100% sure not to cross contaminate anything. Utensils, ect. I could spend $4 on a single can of her kind of chicken noodle soup. Be so excited because it is something new and different. Then she won’t even touch it because she is 3 and they can often be finicky eaters. …..SIGH!

Here is just another example of what we deal with ….Hallie just started Kindergarten. I got information about her Open house in the mail…Come meet your teacher and have an Ice Cream treat. My mind immediately thinks about Aubree. She wants to go to the Open House too and see where her big sister is going to be every day.  I DON’T want to go there and everyone else is eating ice cream and her just watch. How horrible would that be? If you have a little child, think what would my kid do in that situation? See everyone eating a yummy treat like ice cream, sorry honey you can’t have any……Most kids that are three would throw  a fit until you gave in and gave it to them. I CAN’T just give in and give it anyway. It could be her life. Since I had advance warning about the ice cream I could make arrangements. I emailed her teacher to find out what the treats would be. Fudge pops, ice cream sandwiches, and drum sticks. I was determined to bring her something similar. Her wonderful Nana found her kind of fudge pops. So I wrapped that fudge pop up in a bunch of ice packs and put in a small container to help keep it frozen. That way my baby girl could have an ice cream treat like all the other young kids.  What if I didn’t know they were serving ice cream?? We would have been in that situation someone would not be happy. I could not let any of my kids have an ice cream treat because Aubree couldn’t. I am sure they would be disappointed Hallie understands, Keegan does not. But they would still see all the other kids with it. Or I could let Hallie and Keegan have one and Aubree not because it is not safe. Then I am sure she would be disappointed. I would have been in a no win situation. We are in situations SO very often. It is just not fair.

 It is a completely different life than we had 4 short years ago. There is no I don’t feel like messing with it today. EVERY.SINGLE.DAY….NO exception.  

 Almost 4  years later it is still hard and I still ask myself all of those same questions. But as time goes on and Aubree is growing up, she has that little spunky personality and is MY little girl. I know the answers to some of those questions.

GOD chose US for Aubree and AUBREE for us!

She is MINE!  I will go to great lengths for her. I will do everything in my power to make her feel special and loved. I will keep her safe. Make her feel included. Her Allergies have shaped her into the little girl that I love so much. Her Allergies have shaped me into the Momma that I am today. As hard as it can be at times I would NOT change it.  It helps make us, US! Aubree is smart and will do great things. Are some days hard? Yes! BUT that is OUR life and I LOVE our life!

I want to help others that are dealing with the similar issues. Aubree was given to me for a reason. I could put on a happy face and act like it is no big deal, a piece of cake, and never question why. But that is not real. That would not be real for anyone dealing with multiple food allergies. I like real. I want others dealing with similar things to not feel alone. It IS overwhelming and hard, but not impossible!

One of Aubree’s new favorite songs : FOOD ALLERGIES ROCK

A few things we have discovered!

Aubree had a skin prick test again in May. She is still severly allergic to Peanuts, milk, eggs, wheat and soy. She is so strong and amazes me every day. Not a tear dopped when she had her testing done.


Kyle Dine Music---He writes songs about Food Allergies, they are geared towards kids. Aubree absolutely loves the music. You can just see in her face that she can relate to what she is hearing.  She along with her sister and brother dance and sing around the livingroom. It is priceless! Here is a link and you can listen to the songs!
http://www.kyledine.com/listen.html


Going to the grocery can be so overwhelming. I can not being to tell you the number of times I have been up and down the cereal aisle or the frozen dessert aisle. Only to be frustrated at not finding anything new and exciting that Aubree can have.
On a recent trip to Iowa we were able to discover So Delicious Dairy Free Ice cream!
http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/
That little girl was so excited, I would pay that $6.50 for a small container to see the happiness in her face! Knowing what we were looking for we were able to find it in stores in our hometown as well. How in the world have I missed that?! Oh well, she enjoys it now, and that is what matters!

I thank God every day that that fiesty little girl that just happens to have life threating Food Allergies, belongs to US!

The Circus & Peanuts

Peanuts are an airborne allergen and just by breathing those in it could be very dangerous. For that very reason we are not supposed to have peanut products in our house or go places that have open peanut containers. So we cannot go to places like Texas Roadhouse where peanuts are everywhere and all over the floor.

A couple nearby towns were having a small traveling circus come.  We decided to go. It was just a large tent with a circus arena set up in the middle.  WHY oh WHY did I NOT think about the fact there may be peanuts there. It didn’t occur to me. We had gone to a much larger circus when Aubree was a baby and they had done away with peanuts because of allergies.

We were all settled in our seats and the Circus began. We had great seats. The kids were excited, laughing, having a great time.  Venders were going around selling cotton candy, popcorn, and all the toys that we cringe when we see them trying to sell. About a half hour into the show (the first show at this town) they announced that they were selling peanuts for the next 5 mins and there were prize vouchers in the bags. My heart stopped. In this hot, muggy tent they were about to be hundreds of people eating peanuts. I quickly took her out. I could not bring myself to risk it.  We tried to watch from the opening of the tent but she just could not get into it from that far away, plus it was making me nervous.  Luckily there was a nearby park so Aubree and I went there to play, while the rest of the group finished watching the circus. I explained to Aubree why we left. My AMAZING baby girl understood, and never once acted disappointed. Yet, how could a 3 year old NOT be disappointed with that?!?!?

Now I struggle with the fact that I SHOULD have known, I should have called, I could have caused her to have a bad reaction. Just sucks.  YES I believe they should have had it posted that there were going to be peanuts. But ultimately it is no one’s fault but my own. I as her mother should have checked in advance! Live and learn, but darn it. Not how I wanted today to go. It could have been worse; she could have actually had a reaction.  I am truly THANKFUL! She didn’t and I believe she didn’t because we got the heck out of there. Blah, Blah, Blah!

Preschool

Preschool…..

I am trying to decide for the Allergy factor alone if I need to go ahead and slowly start school with Aubree.  Hallie did not go to school at all until this past year. She just did PreK and it was 4 days a week. It worked out great for her. BUT I am not sure how I could handle always being in control of what Aubree eats to being away from her 4-5 days per week. She has two years before going to Kindergarten. Do I want to start 2 days a week this coming year then 3 days a week the following year?? That way we both ease our way into it. OR do I want to take these next two years and make sure she 100% understands all of her allergies and what she can eat??  I honestly am not too worried about the academic aspect of preschool. She is a bright girl and would be fine.   I don’t know. I don’t know.  I do know that I would have to be 100% Comfortable with the school/teacher before I would even consider it.  I am proud of how much Aubree understands what she is allergic to and what she can have. But she is still just 3 and looks for my direction a lot. My biggest fear is that an adult would tell her that a food is ok when it is not, and something would happen and I NOT be there! I would not handle that well.  I don't want her to feel like the "Freak" of the class and be embarassed. I don't want teachers to be annoyed at all the questions I am going to ask and how involved I am going to want to be. But this is MY baby and it is MY job to keep her safe!  I have even toyed around with the homeschooling option. There is so much to learn about life from the school setting. I guess I need to weigh my options.  I don’t know, I don’t know!!

This may sound like not a big deal to some….but it is a HUGE deal to us. My priority is to keep Aubree SAFE, happy & healthy!

food, Food, FOOD!!

Why does food have to be or talked about everywhere?

Every week at Gymnastics class while stretching they play a game, go around the room and say what they like on their ice cream or in their sandwich or pizza or whatever kind of food. I notice Aubree thinking for a second and then just blurting out a type of food similar to what the others are saying.  And me from the bleachers, I want to yell....She can't have that!  I KNOW food is fun for kids, but it makes me cringe!

We were at a local park playing and I see someone reach in their bag and get out a jar of PEANUTS and start snacking. All I can think is PEANUTS, PEANUTS, PEANUTS!!!!  Before Allergies were in our family I probably would not have given it a second thought. Heck, that could have even been ME eating the peanuts!

Signing Hallie up for Kindergarten reading through the paperwork about lunches, snacks, parties ect. The whole time I am thinking about Aubree and how this will effect her when it is her time for school..... I think everyone should bring their own lunches and  own snacks from home, eat their own food, and NOT share!! LOL....piratical, right?!?

Just a few things I think about regularly!

Education is key

I am proud of my baby girl. Allergies are a part of our daily life. Aubree being the middle of our three kids, allergens are constantly present. If your kids are like mine, they can get of from eating a great meal and ask for a snack! She is always so aware of the foods that she can and can't have. We make a little game of quizzing her with different foods to see if she knows what she can have. We have tried very hard to make her undertand that eating a food she is allergic to is dangerous. I have overheard her cousins trying to give her food that she is allergic to before and she simply says, NO, I'm allergic. It makes my heart swell with pride! For a 3 year old she sure is quite educated on food ;)

Sometimes I think I am more bothered/upset with her feeling different that what she is. This is all that she knows, and she is used to it! Me bringing "her special" cupcakes to a birthday party, wedding or shower is perfectly normal to her. Tagging along a lunchbox everywhere we go is normal!  SHE is a normal little girl that we just have to take extra special care of.

Aubree can have her "special kind" of Christmas cookie and icing too!

Thinking about sending her off to school in a couple years is nothing but terrifying to me! I need to start preparing her (and ME) now!  I have always been with her, watching like a hawk (and sometimes feeling like I have eyes in the back of my head) to keep her safe. How will I possibly be comfortable sending her off to school?!?  Her older sister, Hallie, is in PreK now. Hearing of all the snacks and activites they do with food amazes me. HOW could this possibly workwith Aubree? I have NO idea. We have time, and everything always works out! I am praying now....

We have this book : Food Allergies and Me: A Children's Book  By: Juniper Skinner

 http://www.amazon.com/Food-Allergies-Me-Childrens-Book/dp/1456413287/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1326821599&sr=8-7

We love it! Aubree can really relate to the little boy. I think it is a great teaching tool!

Grocery Shopping

The Grocery store…..way different than before! Now, I need to focus! Making sure to have plenty of Aubree friendly foods! What does that mean? Reading labels. There are so many ways that a single allergen could be listed. Just as an example Aubree is allergic to milk, so if Casein is listed she could not have it.  I wonder if others see me reading labels in the store and think I’m just another Health nut!?! Oh boy, do I wish! Instead I am diligently reading labels to protect my baby!  Luckily, there has been a law passed and the top 10 allergens must have a separate warning that is in bold. That does make things a little easier, but I still need to read.  Things also can change each time, so I have to read each and every time I buy that box of cereal, bag of marshmallows, package of lunchmeat, ect. 

Allergies on the rise companies are scared. They have to save their rear ends, lots and lots of foods have a “may contain traces of…” OR “also processes peanuts, wheat, ect” OR “shared equipment with other allergens”  In that case, I really need to steer clear to be on the safe side. That usually means that I am buying the more expensive brands a lot. And that gets expensive, especially the Gluten free things.   That bag of frozen peas and carrots that I have been buying forever now says: May contain traces of milk, soy and peanuts. So, have they really changed the way they make them? Ugh, so many things to consider! But if I chance it and try it anyway, could that be the time there really were traces in the food. And that is all it takes, a trace!  

Have you ever thought about the fact that the slicer at the deli that just sliced the Turkey Breast (that was perfectly safe) had just sliced cheese?!? I have to think about little things like that, ALL.THE.TIME….it is her life! The added struggle now is that with

I can’t just throw a carton of ice cream in the cart and keep going.  Now I think, My Aubree can’t have ice cream, do I REALLY want to get this? If I do decide to go ahead with the ice cream, (which is rare) I need to get something that she can have when we are eating ice cream.  Philly Swirl brand (purple box) is a peanut/tree nut and Gluten Free plant. They have these little cups of popsicle like stuff that you eat with a wooden spoon. She LOVES them and that works for us!  

There have been many of times I have left the grocery store so discouraged and frustrated, wanting to kick and scream!    Needless to say, I love to go to the store alone! ;)

 Again I say, I am thankful that my baby girl is here on Earth with me and that she is thriving! I am a very lucky Mommy to have her and I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, ALWAYS!

New special treat I made today: Simple, yet fun! :)

Chocolate covered Marshmallows

Aubree safe Marshmallows (free of milk, soy, wheat, peanuts, eggs, apples &green beans!)

Enjoy Life Brand chocolate chips

Splash of Canola oil

Pour some chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl and little bit of Canola oil, mix. Microwave for  1 min and stir until smooth. Coat the marshmallows in the chocolate. Then put them in the freezer to make the chocolate harden.

She loved them, and so did her brother and sister! J